Garment form



De. 22, 1942. WAHLBECK 2,306,350

GARMENT FORM Filed Sept. 27. 1940 wag.

Patented Dec. 22, 1942 2,306,350 GARMENT FORM John H.

Paramount Textile Machinery Wahlbeck, Kankakee, Ill., assignor to 00..Chicago,

Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Application September 21, 1940, SerialNo. 358,646

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a garment form and particularly to a formhaving interchan eable attachable and detachable portions to vary thecontour thereof. It has more particular reference to a stocking iormhaving interchangeable toe portions to vary the foot length toaccommodate stockings of different foot sizes.

At the present time there are available on the market garment formscomprised of sheets of metal cut to the contour of the garment to beaccommodated and assembled in pairs to comprise a structure having asubstantially oval cross-section and crease producing edges. Said edgesare joined by welding, brazing or any other commonly known expedient anda base member is provided for mounting the form; Frequently. especiallyin the case of ladies hose, the dimensions of the leg and foot, otherthan foot length, remain the same for all nominal sizes of stockings sothat it becomes necessary to use either a difierent form'for each footlength or to provide these-me with removable toe portions of variouslengths; which are interchangeably detachable with respect to the formto result in a longer or shorter foot portion'thereforl I am aware thatforms are available comprised of sheet metal formed as above described,as well as those constructed from a relatively thick single sheet ofmetal. and provided with interchangeable toe portions, but in thosethetoe portion forms a simple butt joint with the remainder of the form,thereby leaving an interstice between the two joined portions into whichloose threads on the inside of the stocking, or the stitches themselves,can easily become snagged. Accordingly. if this should occur thestocking is rejected entirely as waste, or can be sold only at asubstantially reduced price as an irregular."

- 7 Furthermore, in the case of interchangeable toe forms intended to beused for a preboarding or equivalent setting operation on hosieryknitted of yarns comprised of synthetic yarns, as for example, syntheticllnear condensation polyamides, commonly known as nylon, any clip orfastening means employed to connect the toe portion with the form properand which may project above the normal surface of the form will, underthe conditions of heat and moisture encountered in such settingoperations, mold undesirable formations in the stocking and unfavorablyaffect their saleability. Moreover. it is recognized that nylon has adecidedly greater propensity to snag than has natural silk. rayons orother known fibres used in knitted articles, so that the snag- 66 formextending from the ankle through ging hazard alluded to in the foregoingparagraph now takes on even greater significance.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide in aform of the class de scribed interchangeable contour-varying membersadapted to meet with the remainder of the form in such relation that nointerstices likely to present a snagging hazard to the goods are formedat the junction.

It is another object of this invention to provide in a form of the classdescribed a contourvarying member which will mate with the form properto result in a smooth, flush sunace over the entire working area of theform.

In the types or cap-like toes presently available for sheet metaliorms,.it is diiflcult to maintain the alinement of the toe and footportion edgewise or flatwise inasmuch as the curved inner surface of thetoe is adapted to fit over a substantialiy corresponding curvedprojection onthe toot portion and no guide pins or equivalent aligningmeans are provided. As a practical matter it is difllcult to fabricatesuch'a form with accurately engaging curved suriaces, particuiarlybecause forming dies are too expensive to permit their use for themultitudinous shapes demanded by the trade. Hence when wear occursduring use, the toe becomes loose and misaligned with danger ofsnagging. In the case of forms made from a single sheet of metal, mostfrequently aluminum, the soft engaging surfaces become worn during usewith the same shortcoming just described.

' Accordingly, it is a further object of this invention to provide aform of the type referred to in which provision is made for initialaccurate alignment of the toe portion with the foot portion, and formaintenance of said alignment substantially over the entire liie oi theequipment; and in the event normal slight wear occurs, which is desiredto be remedied, renewed aligning means can be quickly and cheaplyinstalled, and the form rendered as accurate as when new.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a garment formincluding interchangeable contour-varying members, which is simple tomanufacture, rapidly interchangeable, and comprising a rigid, unitarystructure when the member is assembled with the form proper.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a toe assembled with the form proper;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the the foot and showingthe toe proper;

Figure 3 is a view on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a partial cross section on the line 55 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 shows an alternative form of the interengaging elements ofFigure 5.

In the following description, the invention will be described withreference to a stocking form not adapted to be heated internally, as forexample, a form used for a preboarding or equivalent setting operation,or generally, a form adapted to accommodate a stocking for treatment bya medium applied exteriorly. However, as will be alluded to hereinafter,the invention is equally applicable to a form adapted to receive aheating medium interiorly. Nor is the disclosure to be understood asbeing limited to interchangeable toe portions as such, as it will beobvious that the invention is equally applicable where other parts ofthe form contour are desired to be modified by interchangeable memhers.Moreover, the description is not to be construed as limited to a form toaccommodate stockings, since the invention, in its essentials,applicable to forms for other garments and arranged forcontour-changing.

Referring to Figure 1, 9 represents the form proper comprising amounting base ID, a leg portion H, a foot portion l2, and a detachabletoe portion I3. The sides of the body of the form sheet metal cut to thedesired contour and formed by dies or otherwise to the curve indicatedin Figure 3, and joined at the edges [4 and I5 by welding, brazing,solders or m 2 ui ab e means. o y d he substantially oval cross-sectionthere shown. If desired, a rib l6 may be provided substantiallycentrally'and longitudinally of the leg portion I (and foot'portlon (2,to add rigidity and provide a'fulcrum for facilitating assembly of thesides of the form in their arcuate relation by bending them thereover ifnecessary.

In the case of a stocking form it is preferred to provide, along therear edge 15, a groove I! (Figure 3) to receive the seam of the stockingand preserve proper alignment of the same with respect to the form astreatment proceeds. Said groove may be formed by rollers or a cutter asis usual in the art, and is continued through the toe portion, as shownin Figures 1 and 2.

As clearly shown in Figures 2 and 5, the rear half of the foot portionl2 across the face thereof is shorter than the front half, as indicatedat "l, and in the toe I3 the front half across its face is shorter thanthe rear half, as indicated at 19, for a purpose to 'be described.Located in the open extremity formed by the curved sides of the footportion i2 is a substantially oval solid insert 2| having curvedparallel sides snugly fitting between the front and rear halves of thesaid foot portion, the said insert being lodged therein for slightlyover half its thickness, to leave a projecting edge 22. Then, by meansof spot Welding, or any other suitable joining medium, the insert 2| ispermanently joined with the curved sides of the foot portion l2. Insert2| is provided with a pair of circular holes 23 therethrough. preferablylocated on its central axis.

The sides of the toe portion I3 are arcuately formed to match thecurvature of the sides of the foot portion l2, and there is unitedtherewith an insert 24 of the same shape as the insert 2|, but provided,preferably on its central axis, with disengaged from the form roundedtip 26 to facilitate entry of said dowels into said holes.

If desired, the dowels 25 and holes 23 may be reversed, as illustratedin Figure 6, wherein 23a represents the holes included in the insert ofthe toe element and 25a. represents the dowels included in the insert ofthe foot portion.

It is preferred to fabricate the form and its component parts, includingthe detachable toes stainless steel, Monel may be sprung slightly bypressure of the fingers, causing a. minute misalignment thereof and apinching action between the dowels 25 and holes 23, but not so severethat the toe can not readily be over the edges, as the joint is brokenalong the edge rather than through it.

The exposed portions 22 and 21 of the inserts 2i and 24 respectivelyserve to support the overhanging ends 29 and 28 of the rear face of thetoe l3 and front face of the foot portion I2 so that these relativelythin members may not become damaged during use.

If it is desired to apply the invention to a form arranged to be heatedinternally, the insert 2| may be provided with holes 23 drilled onlypart way through so that the interior of the form 9 is completely sealedfor circulation of a heating medium through a suitable base having inletand outlet connections, as commonly known in the art. Accordingly, thedowels 25 would be foreshortened to take into the blind holes 23. Underthis alternative, heating of the toe would take place through themetallic contacting areas of the foot portion and toe.

It will be apprehended that the basic improvements of this invention areapplicable to a form comprised of a solid sheet of metal relatively thinin cross section, or of substantially oval cross section and arrangedfor either internal or external application of a heating medium. In thisevent if the form is made of relatively soft metal, the holes 23 wouldbe formed by the insertion of hollow bushings in the base metal, saidbushings being of relatively greater hardness than the base metal. Inconnection therewith hard dowels would be inserted in the toe portion sothat the evils of having inter-engaged portions of the softer metal willbe obviated.

It will be understood that a plurality of toes is furnished for eachform proper and that those not in use are stored on a convenient rack.Moreover, it will be apprehended that other zones of the form may bearranged for contour chang ing, as for example, an interchangeable calfand knee portion for changing a form from one for accommodating regularladies stockings to one for ladies outsize stockings.

I claim:

1. A hollow garment form comprising a body formed of side members joinedat the margin thereof to form crease-producing edges except for asubstantially blunt body portion adapted to receive a contour-changingmember, said portion constituted by an extension of one side memberbeyond the other and a rigid insert in said blunt body portion; aplurality of holes in said insert; an interchangeable contour-changingmember adapted to mate with said blunt body portion comprised of sidemembers formed with one side member thereof extending beyond the other0D- positely to the offset sides of the mating blunt body portion andforming a flush garment receiving surface therewith; saidcontour-changing member being provided with an individual rigid inserthaving dowels therein to engage said holes.

2. A hollow hosiery form comprising a body including a leg and footportion comprised of side members joined at the margin thereof to formcrease-producing edges, except that said foot portion terminates in asubstantially blunt toe receiving portion constituted by an extension ofone side member beyond the other and a rigid insert in said footportion; a plurality of holes in said insert parallel to the axis of thefoot portion; and an interchangeable toe portion for said form comprisedof side members joined at the margin thereof to form crease-producingedges except where said toe portion terminates in a blunt footengagingportion, one side member extending beyond the other oppositely to theoffset sides of said foot portion and forming a flush surface therewith;said toe portion being provided at its blunt end with an individualrigid insert having dowels therein to engage said holes.

3. A hosiery structure as in claim 1 in which said first mentionedinsert protrudes from said blunt body portion to support the face of thecontour-changing member juxtaposed thereto, and said second mentionedinsert protrudes from said contour-changing member to support the faceof the blunt body portion juxtaposed thereto.

JOHN H. WAHLBECK.

